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Sword of the New World Exclusive Interview
Posted April 19th, 2007 by Cody Bye
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If It Ain't Baroque....
An Art Direction
Q&A with Jon-Enee Merriex, Senior Game Master for the Sword
of the New World
April 19, 2007
In this day and age, sword and sorcery MMOs are practically a dime a dozen, and more fantasy-based games are on the horizon. When a MMO developer looks at creating another fantasy MMO, they have the dilemma of trying to make their world unique in a sea of look-alikes and standard visions. The development team at K2 Network was faced with this problem, and they chose to differentiate themselves from the competition by adopting the architecture and vibrant look of western Europe during the Age of Exploration. We asked the Jon-Enee Merriex, Senior Game Master for K2 Network, a few questions about their art direction, which he graciously answered and included a few exclusive screenshots for Ten Ton Hammer readers as well!
Micajah: Why was a Baroque-style selected for the the visuals in Sword of the New World: Granado Espada?
Jon-Enee: The lead developer, Hak Kyu Kim, was doing a press event in Europe for one of his previous titles and was struck by the architecture he found there. He decided he wanted to develop his next game based on the look and feel of Europe during the Age of Exploration. He enjoyed the elaborate elegance of the time period and that almost timeless feel is a recurrent theme throughout Sword of the New World: Granado Espada.
Micajah: How did that influence your art, did you have to research the time period, will history-buffs see familiar pieces, etc.?
Jon-Enee: There was a lot of research done, but that doesn’t mean people should expect to see the Globe Theatre, the Vatican, or other famous European locations. The teams really focused on making Granado Espada - which is the name of the new continent in Sword of the New World - feel like the Baroque or Classic era Europe. Although the game isn't actually set in Baroque Europe, the inspiration from that era of the continent is everywhere. You will see it in everything from the gothic style municipal buildings to the French and Dutch style homes. There are several places that are very similar to real life spots, but they are always slightly different. The continent itself has been through a lot and has its own independent history that has affected its art and design differently than the real-life European History. But if you are a history buff, you will get a kick out of trying to figure out where different real-life European themes fit into the game.
Micajah: Other than cities, what sort of landscapes are we going to see in the game and how will those pieces reflect the general art-style of the entire game.
Jon-Enee: Well, I think the first thing you need to know is the continent in Sword of the New World - Granada Espado - is one that has not been fully explored. So there is a lot of uncharted territory. I don’t want to give anything away but you can expect to see lush forests and jungles, dry deserts and plains, snow capped mountains and even some dilapidated ruins. Each area has its own history (much like the cities) and there is myriad detail in each. Detail - I think - is the most important aspect to Sword’s overall art design. Not everything you see will be influenced by the Baroque and Classic movements in Europe. Because some things cannot be, it’s a new world; it cannot all be influenced by the old world. But with well over 150 areas there is a lot of detail and history in each. And each area helps to tell the story of this new world.
Exclusive Sword of the New World: Granado Espada Screenshots:
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